Laser Rangefinder with Improved Display

ABSTRACT

A rangefinder having improved display capabilities. The rangefinder has a ranging system., a processor, and a display. The rangefinder may have a multi-position button for inputting data, and may also have an inertial navigation unit. The rangefinder has improved input and tracking of wind direction and speed, allowing for improved ballistic compensation for wind.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/465,611 filed Aug. 21, 2014, which claims thebenefit of: U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/868,930,filed Aug. 22, 2013; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/935,667, filed Feb. 4, 2014; the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entireties for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of range-findingdevices. More particularly, the present invention relates to arangefinder with improved display and wind capabilities.

BACKGROUND

Rangefinders can provide important data to aid a shooter in manyapplications, for example, hunting, competition shooting, military orlaw enforcement, in making precise shots on targets. Many conventionalrangefinders use a laser beam to determine distance to an object bycalculating the time it takes for a laser pulse of light to reach atarget and be reflected back to the source. As computers have becomemore powerful and smaller, it has become increasingly popular toincorporate computers in laser rangefinders to provide ballistic data tothe shooter based on a variety of parameters such as the specific rifle,bullet or environmental factors. One problem with such devices is thatthey can be cumbersome to program or customize because of the amount ofdata needed to be entered to provide accurate ballistics.

Most conventional ballistic rangefinders are one of two types. As shownin FIG. 1, the first type is a basic rangefinder 12 that uses genericballistics formulas and computing with a relatively simple interface.Such basic rangefinders 12 do not need many buttons because there arenot many features, although, as explained below, the menus for suchbasic rangefinders 12 can be cumbersome because of the limited buttonoptions. As shown in FIG. 1, the basic rangefinder has two buttons,namely a laser fire button 10 and a menu button 20, both of which aresingle position (press down) buttons. Actuation of the laser fire button10 causes the basic rangefinder 12 to take measurements, such as therange, when in range mode. Actuation of the menu button 20 causes thebasic rangefinder 12 to enter a menu mode wherein a limited number ofoptions can be selected such as, LED screen brightness or ranging modestyle. An example of this style of rangefinder menu entry can be foundin the Vortex Optics Ranger 1000 Rangefinder. However, even entry ofthis limited information can be confusing due to the limited buttonpress combinations. Some basic rangefinders 12 lump multiple bulletclasses together and average them to provide a generic ballisticsolution. For shorter range shots (less than 500 yards) this may beacceptable. For longer range shots or extremely precise shots, this isoften not accurate enough.

The second type of rangefinder is a more advanced rangefinder 100 asseen in. FIG. 2. Advanced rangefinder 100 allows the user to enter manyvariables, such as the bullet's ballistic coefficient, muzzle velocity,barometric pressure, elevation, bullet drag model, scope height, zerorange, and a number of other factors to give an extremely preciseballistic solution to the user. However, entry of such data to initiallyset up existing advanced rangefinders 100 is cumbersome and confusing.As seen in FIG. 2, one such example of an advanced rangefinder 100 isthe Gunwerks G7 BR2 rangefinder. This device has four different buttons,each of which are single position (press down). The user must press thelaser fire button 110 to cause the advanced rangefinder 100 to take ameasurement, or may press and hold the mode button 120 to access themenu mode. Once in the menu mode, the user needs to cycle throughvarious main menu headings as well as adjust individual menu selectionsusing the up arrow button 130 and the down arrow button 140. Thisrequires pressing multiple buttons using two hands located at differentpositions around the device. The G7 BR2 is an advanced rangefinder, butis difficult to program. For example, to accurately calculate ballisticdata specific to the user of that rangefinder, the user must inputinformation into the device, including environmental factors such aswind speed and direction, in addition to information about the firearmbeing used, such as caliber, barrel twist, twist direction, muzzlevelocity, etc. Finally, the user must also input information about theammunition itself, including but not limited to ballistic coefficient,bullet weight, and bullet length. Further, advanced rangefinders 100,such as the G7 BR2, are more expensive due to the increased labor and.manufacturing as a result of having more buttons and a larger formfactor. Advanced rangefinder 100 is also more susceptible to liquid anddebris entry because the large number of buttons provides a large numberof entry points.

Another issue with typical laser rangefinders is that they do not allowa user to store information related to multiple set-ups. For example, ifa shooter has multiple rifles, and he wants to use the same laserrangefinder for all of his guns, he must enter the entire set of datafor available parameters into the rangefinder every time he switchesguns. This can be a time consuming and frustrating process, especiallyif the user wants to switch guns with any frequency.

Yet another issue with existing rangefinders relates to thesophistication of the ballistics features. Some existing ballisticsrangefinders offer generic ballistics formulae and computing in order tomake the user interface easier, but these rangefinders are often notaccurate or customizable enough for serious shooters. As a result, thereis a need for a way to provide a feature-rich ballistic program in apackage that is easy for users to input their customized data, andfurther allows the user to store such customized data for multiplegun/ammunition combinations.

To help with information input, some existing rangefinders that allowballistic programming include many buttons, which makes them expensiveto make and confusing to use. Additionally, including additional buttonsnecessitate a larger form factor device housing to provide adequatespace for the buttons. The more confusing a rangefinder is, the lesslikely a user is to utilize all the available features, thereby makingthe user less accurate than he or she can otherwise be. Includingadditional buttons also often translates to an increase in expense,labor intensiveness, and difficultly to manufacture, and increases thenumber of entry points for liquid and debris to enter the rangefinder.

Other existing rangefinders have feature-rich ballistic programs, butoffer only a couple of single position buttons. Such rangefinders arealso confusing because it can be difficult to determine which buttons topress and in what order to enter the menu mode, to cycle menu options,or to cycle the menu option's setting. In particular, existingrangefinders do not have an intuitive way of inputting wind speed anddirection. Therefore, there is a need for an easy to use rangefinderwith a feature-rich ballistic program, but with as few intuitive buttonsas possible to allow a user to navigate a display/menu layout that iseasy to use.

Another difficulty with current ballistics rangefinders involves winddata. Wind is particularly noteworthy in shooting because wind can havea large effect on a bullet's trajectory, and because it is difficult todirectly measure given that it is constantly changing. It would thus beadvantageous to have a device or feature built into rangefinder thataids the user in keeping track of their wind direction and velocity.There currently are devices on the market that can directly measurewind, but they are large, expensive, or heavy on battery consumption.For example the Venom LX unit made by Torrey Pines reads real time windfor shooters. Although this device can calculate and track real timewind, it would be an advantage to hunters, military, and law enforcementpersonnel to have a similar feature, but was one that was inexpensive,portable enough to fit into a hand-held laser rangefinder, used littleto no additional battery power, and easy enough to use that it kepttrack of wind data with minimal user inputs.

When reading wind data, the conventional method is to identify thedirection the wind is coming from, followed by the wind velocity. Forexample, a wind of 360 degrees at 10 mph means that wind is coming from360 degrees (due north) going to the south, at 10 mph. This conventionis often misunderstood by a layman, where as a weather person, pilot, orsomeone who is required to know intimate details of weather, willunderstand this correctly. Because of this, it is important that thewind entry be intuitive to all people, and that there is no mistakingthe wind direction.

SUMMARY

The invention provides a rangefinder for measuring a distance to atarget. According to the invention, the rangefinder includes a body, thebody including a display. A ranging system and a processor are mountedwithin the body, the processor capable of controlling information forshowing on the display. A first button is mounted on the body incommunication with the ranging system. A second button is mounted on thebody in communication with the processor, the second button being amulti-position button. An inertial navigation unit may be mounted withinthe body in communication with the processor. Actuating the first buttoncauses the rangefinder to take a range measurement. Actuation of themulti-position button allows for adjustment of settings for operation ofthe rangefinder. Actuation of the multi-position button can also allowfor entry of data into the processor. The multi-position button can be a5-position button. The rangefinder may communicate with a remotecomputing device using a wireless connection.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one or moreaspects of this invention can meet certain objectives, while one or moreother aspects can lead to certain other objectives. Other objects,features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will beapparent in this summary and descriptions of the disclosedembodiment(s), and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.Such objects, features, benefits and advantages will be apparent fromthe above as taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures and allreasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a basic prior art rangefinder.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a more advanced prior art rangefinder.

FIG. 3A is a schematic illustration of a rangefinder with improveddisplay in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a schematic illustration of a ranging system that could beused with a rangefinder in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a rangefinder with improved display inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of one multi-position button in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 4C is a perspective view of a second multi-position button inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of the buttons and the view when lookinginto the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “range mode.

FIG. 6 is a view as seen when looking in the rangefinder of FIG. 4 whenin “menu mode.”

FIG. 7 is a view as seen when looking in the rangefinder of FIG. 4 whenin “menu mode” and the menu option has been changed from FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode,”showing a brightness adjustment setting.

FIG. 9 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode,”showing a “basic” mode setting option.

FIG. 10 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode,”showing an “advanced” mode setting option.

FIG. 11 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode,”showing that Bluetooth connectivity is enabled.

FIG. 12 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “range mode,”showing user profile in use, battery level, and whether Bluetooth.connectivity is enabled, and also showing relative humidity and windspeed.

FIG. 13 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “range mode,”showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus wind speed and winddirection, before the range is determined.

FIG. 14 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “range mode,”showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus distance and elevation andwindage hold values in MOA.

FIG. 15 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile plus theselection of a profile.

FIG. 16 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus ameasurement system selection.

FIG. 17 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus a rangeunit selection.

FIG. 18 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus aballistic unit selection.

FIG. 19 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus amagnetic declination selection,

FIG. 20 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, pluslatitude selection.

FIG. 21 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus a zerorange selection.

FIG. 22 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus abarrel twist selection.

FIG. 23 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus a twistdirection selection.

FIG. 24 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing a caliber selection.

FIG. 25 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus aballistic shape selection.

FIG. 26 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus aballistic coefficient selection.

FIG. 27 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus amuzzle velocity selection.

FIG. 28 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus abullet weight selection.

FIG. 29 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus abullet length selection.

FIG. 30 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “menu mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus a dopeselection.

FIG. 31 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “range mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus acompass function.

FIG. 32 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “range mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus atemperature reading.

FIG. 33 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “range mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus windspeed and wind direction, before the range, elevation, and windage aredetermined.

FIG. 34 is a view of the rangefinder of FIG. 4 when in “range mode” forthe “advanced mode” showing battery, Bluetooth and profile, plus thecalculated elevation and windage settings.

FIG. 35 is a flow diagram showing a method of displaying windinformation on a rangefinder display.

FIG. 36 is a schematic illustration of a rangefinder with improveddisplay in accordance with the present invention, showing several inputsources for the processor, including an inertial navigation unit, asaved user ballistics profile, saved user wind input, environmentalsensors, and a ranging system.

FIGS. 37A, 37B and 37C are a series of schematic drawings illustratinghow an inertial navigation unit in a rangefinder in accordance with theinvention can allow stored wind data to be applied to a new targetwithout re-setting other data inputs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a rangefinder 200 with improveddisplay, shown here with basic components including a body 520, aranging system 504 for measuring a line of sight range to a target fromthe vantage point of the ranging system, a display 300, and a processor508 in communication with the ranging system 504. Processor 508 could bea microprocessor or a CPU, and including memory for certain embodiments.The rangefinder 200 may also include one or more inputs 215, such as oneor more buttons or a multi-position button 220 for providing informationand data to processor 508. One or more inputs 215 could take manydifferent formats capable of allowing a user to select, enter, or importdata or settings into the device. Physical input mechanisms such asbuttons, switches, keys or screens could be used, as well as such asports for connections to other devices or sources (e.g. HDMI, USBports). Such inputs may relate to many different parameters as explainedin more detail below. The rangefinder 200 may also include an inertialnavigation unit 516 that interacts with the processor 508.

Ranging system 504 uses a laser beam to determine the distance to anobject or to a target 500, and operates by sending a laser pulse towardstarget 500 and measuring the time taken by the pulse to be reflected offthe target and returned. The basic components of an exemplary laserranging system 504 are shown in FIG. 3A. In FIG. 3A., a laser pulse isemitted from a transmitter, such as a pulse laser diode 501. Part of thebeam emitted travels through a beam. splitter 502, and part is reflectedto detector 505. The emitted laser pulse travels through a transmissionlens 503 to target 500, which reflects a portion of the laser pulse backthrough receiving lens 506 and subsequently through receiver 507 to amicro-controller unit 510, which calculates the distance to target 500using well known mathematical principles. Ranging system 504 could alsobe a more complex system with additional or alternative components,including gain control components, charging capacitors, and analog todigital converters by way of example.

An inertial navigation unit 516 may be used in the rangefinder 200connection with ballistics information to calculate informationconcerning bullet trajectory, hold over, or other variables that may beof interest to the user. Inertial navigation unit 516 may additionallyor alternatively be used to assist with calculation and display of windvelocity and direction when the rangefinder 200 changes position, basedon data from the inertial navigation unit 516, so that a new windvelocity and direction is pictured on the display 300 when the positionof the rangefinder 200 has changed. In one embodiment, the inertialnavigation unit 516 includes a 3-axis compass, a 3-axis accelerometer,and a 3-axis gyroscope. In other embodiments, the 3-axis compass, a3-axis accelerometer, and a 3-axis gyroscope can be incorporated intothe rangefinder 200 as individual components, with appropriate software,instead of being incorporated into the rangefinder 200 as an integralunit. And in still other embodiments, the gyroscope can be omitted.Further, other tilt sensors can be used in place of the accelerometer.Examples of other tilt sensors include an electrolytic liquid level tiltsensor, an optical bubble tilt sensor, a capacitive bubble tilt sensor,a pendulum mechanism, a rotary optical encoder, a rotaryelectro-resistive encoder, a Hall Effect device, and a ceramiccapacitive tilt sensor.

In one embodiment, the laser rangefinder 200 with an improved displayhas a laser fire button 210 and a multi-position button 220, as seen inFIG. 4A. The rangefinder 200 may be operated in multiple “modes” havingdifferent functionality. For example, to enter user inputs or data, therangefinder 200 may be in a “menu mode,” but while in use for rangingpurposes may be in a “range mode.” More or less “modes” may be providedin the rangefinder consistent with the invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the rangefinder 200, when in range mode,provides a display 300. Actuation of the laser fire button 210 causesthe rangefinder 200 to take measurements, such as the range with units308, when in range mode. Other variables that can be measured when thelaser fire button 210 is actuated can also be displayed on display 300,such as the unit of measure for the hold value (minute of angle, MRAD,inches, centimeters, etc.) 306, elevation hold over value 310, wind holdvalue 312, as well as others not shown in FIG. 5, such as barometricpressure or temperature. As shown in FIG. 5, for example, the displaycan also show the profile setting 304, for example, for multiple guns orset-ups, each with their own profile. In the embodiment shown, therangefinder 200 is capable of storing multiple profiles, so a user mayprogram some or all of the ballistics information for multiple guns, andmay store the profile information for later use. The display 300 mayalso include a cross hair 302 for aiming in addition to data displayedas described above.

In one embodiment, the rangefinder 200 has feature-rich menus andreplaces the need for a large number of buttons by using a singlemulti-position button 220 as a button for navigating menus and enteringdata, as seen in FIG. 4A. A multi-position button 220 makes navigationmore intuitive through the menu options 402 and menu selections 404(FIG. 6) when in menu mode. Of course, alternative inputs 215, buttons,or other styles of multi-position buttons 220 may be used withoutdeparting from the invention. The multi-position button 220 can bepushed left, right, forward, backward, and straight down. Asalternatives, a 4-position button 222 is shown in FIG. 4B, and a5-position button 224 is shown in FIG. 4C. A 5-position button providesflexibility with minimal amount of complexity to the user. For example,in the 5-position button 224 shown in FIG. 4C, the button can beactuated in five different directions, e.g., forward, backward, right,left, (as shown with arrows in the drawing), and straight up and down(by pressing on the center 270 of the button). However, a 4-position(e.g. FIG. 4B) or more button or switch can also be used.

One exemplary configuration includes pressing and holding the center 270of the multi-position button 220 to enter a menu mode, as seen in FIG.5. Once in menu mode, the various menus can be cycled by, for example,pressing the right portion 250 and left portion 260 of themulti-position button 220. The menu selections can then be adjusted, forexample, by using the up portion 230 and down portion 240 of themulti-position button 220.

The types of variables and features that may be adjusted in menu modeusing the multi-position button 220 include, but are not limited to, theprofile, wind speed, ballistic coefficient, muzzle velocity, dragstandard, sight height and zero range. In some embodiments, theparameters of the rangefinder 200 that can be adjusted or for which datacan be entered could be classified as menu options 402 and menuselections 404. For example, menu option 402 could be the parameter orvariable itself, such as range units 430, or ballistic coefficient 475as examples. Menu selection 404 would then be the selected value or datainput for that parameter, and could be provided by scrolling or clickingthrough options that could be selected, or could even be enteredmanually into rangefinder 200 itself or through data input from anotherdevice. In the range unit example (in FIG. 17), the menu option 402allows for the selection of range units, and the user can choose frommenu selections 404 for yards or meters.

FIG. 6 illustrates the selection of a menu option 402 and menu selection404 for a user profile setting 304 in one embodiment. As anotherexample, as shown in FIG. 7, a muzzle velocity option (Muz vlcty) 412 isselected by, for example, actuating the right portion 250 or leftportion 260 of the multi-position button 220 until the muzzle velocityoption 412 was visible. Once the desired menu option 402 is selected, inthis case the muzzle velocity option 412, the menu selection 404 forthat menu option 402 can be adjusted by actuating the up portion 230 anddown portion 240 of the multi-position button 220. As illustrated inFIG. 7, the menu selection 414 for the muzzle velocity option. 412 wasadjusted to 2750 Feet.

In certain embodiments, variables that change more often, such as theprofile 304 or wind speed 314, can be adjusted while still in range modeand without entering menu mode. Referring back to FIG. 5, for example,while in “range mode,” the right portion 250 and left portion 260 of themulti-position button 220 can adjust wind speed 314 while the up portion230 and down portion 240 of the multi-position button 220 can changeuser profile setting 304 when, for example, more than one person isshooting or different guns are being shot. When the laser fire button210 is actuated, the rangefinder 200 will take measurements, such as therange, pressure, temperature and angle measurements. This informationwill be retained until the center 270 of the multi-position button 220is actuated to delete the last measured data. The rangefinder 200 willuse the saved measurements with the wind value 314 and data entered withmanually entered profile settings 304 to display the appropriateballistic data. Should some variables change, such as the wind speed 314or direction, the up portion 230 and down portion 240 of themulti-position button 220 can be actuated while still in range mode toobtain new ballistic data in real time using the newly obtained measuredvalues combined with the wind data and data associated with savedprofile settings 304. One advantage of this operation is that only oneset of measurements needs to be taken and can be applied to multipleballistic data variables, rather than taking an independent measurementfor each wind speed or profile selection.

Multiple variations on the number and arrangement of buttons iscontemplated as being within the scope of the invention. In an alternateembodiment, a menu mode can be entered by pressing any button on themulti-position button 220. In another alternate embodiment, therangefinder 200 would only have a multi-position button 220, without arange fire button 210. The multi-position switch 220 may function as therange fire button 210, when for example the up portion 230 of themulti-position button 220 is pressed for one time measurement or pressedand held for real-time continuous measurements. The multi-positionswitch 220 also operates as the functions button for navigating menuoptions 402 and identifying menu selections 404, and entering datamanually, when the center portion 270 of the multi-position button 220is pressed and held, thereby entering menu mode.

FIGS. 8-34 show representative illustrations of a rangefinder 200 withan improved display, and in particular showing examples of informationprovided on display 300. The illustrations shown in FIGS. 8-34 showexamples of numerous menu and setting options that may be simplynavigated by the user. In one embodiment of a rangefinder 200 withimproved display, inputting the information necessary to complete aprofile may include setting fifteen different parameters: (1) measuringsystem (imperial/metric), (2) range units (yards/meters), (3) ballisticunits (Minute of Angle “MOA” or MRAD (metric)), (4) magnetic declination(E/W), (5) latitude (+1-0.0000 N/S), (6) zero range (100 +/−), (7)barrel twist ( 1/20+/−), (8) twist direction (L/R), (9) caliber (7mm,0.338, 0.500, 0.223, 0.270, 0.308), (10) DRG STD (ballistic shape) (G1,G7), (11) ballistic coefficient (0.500 +/−), (12) muzzle velocity(2700.00 Fs +/−), (13) bullet weight (11.50 grains +/−), (14) bulletlength (1.00 in +/−), and (15) DOPE (keep/dump). DOPE, which stands for“Data On Personal Equipment” or “Data Of Previous Engagement,” refers toelevation and windage settings stored on the rangefinder. More or lessparameters may be provided in a rangefinder in accordance with theinvention as well.

In the figures, FIG. 8 shows a brightness setting 320 for the display300. FIGS. 9 and 10 show that the menu may be toggled between “basic”330 and “advanced” 340 mode settings, for which there are less, or more,parameters that may be adjusted for use of the rangefinder. For example,in a “basic” setting, the user may have a few key parameters availablefor adjustment, whereas in an “advanced” setting, the user may be ableto adjust and input more parameters and achieve more sophisticatedcustomization and use of the rangefinder. Alternatively, “basic”settings may be those most commonly used, and “advanced” settings thoseless frequently used.

As shown in FIG. 11, for example, the rangefinder 200 may also becapable of linking to and communicating with another device usingBluetooth (as shown in Bluetooth setting 350) or any other suitablewired or wireless connection. The other device may include software thatwould allow a user to set profile data separate from the rangefinder200, and then upload the data into the rangefinder. This would furtherreduce the complexity of using the rangefinder 200. For example, therangefinder 200 may have a corresponding application that runs on asmartphone, such as an iPhone or Android device. A user can create aballistic profile setting 304 on the device and then upload it to therangefinder 200. Similarly, the rangefinder 200 may be able to keep alog or analytic data of information regarding how the rangefinder isused, which may be transferred to the smartphone or other device that auser may review later. And using either a wired or wireless interface,such as a Bluetooth connection, the rangefinder software can beregularly updated.

FIGS. 12-14 show parameters available in the “basic” settings for oneembodiment of a rangefinder. FIG. 12 shows a number of basic deviceparameters, including humidity 360, wind speed 314, user profile 304 inuse, battery level 370, and Bluetooth connectivity 350. FIG. 13 showsthe wind speed 314 and direction (via wind indicator 512) before rangeis determined. After range is determined, FIG. 14 shows the range 380,that is, distance to the target along with elevation hold over value 310and wind hold value 312 (in MOA).

FIGS. 15-30 show parameters available for adjustment in “advanced”settings for one embodiment of a rangefinder 200, for example, userprofile setting 304, measurement system 420, range unit menu option 430,ballistic unit option 435, magnetic declination option 440, latitudeoption 445, zero range option 450, barrel twist option 455, twistdirection option 460, caliber option 465, ballistic shape option 470,ballistic coefficient option 475, muzzle velocity option 412, bulletweight option 480, bullet length option 485, and dope option 490. Foreach of the illustrated menu options 402, the user may select from orinput the desired menu selection 404.

A rangefinder 200 may also include certain environmental sensors 530such as a thermometer, compass, pressure sensor, sensors for measuringhumidity, wind. direction and speed, or other environmental features.FIGS. 31 and 32 show a compass function 375 and temperature reading 385respectively. FIG. 33 shows a rangefinder display 300 when “advanced”settings are in use, in particular showing the wind speed and direction,before range, elevation, and windage are determined. FIG. 34 shows anexample of calculated elevation and windage settings in an advanced modeembodiment.

As described above, the process of inputting all of the necessary datamay be greatly simplified using the multi-position button 220, whichrequires only one finger to use. To use the rangefinder, the user canselect a “profile” or enter his or her ballistics information using themulti-position button 220 described above. Then the user can use the upportion 230 and down portion 240 on the multi-position button 220 to setthe current wind speed, and the user can use the left portion 260 andright portion 250 to move the arrow around the perimeter of the display300 to indicate the wind direction. After wind speed and wind directionare provided, the user can aim at a target, and press the laser firebutton 210, which will calculate and display the distance to the target(i.e. range 380), as well as the elevation and windage settings (310,312) the user would need for the shot, based on the ballisticsinformation previously provided.

In certain embodiments, the rangefinder 300 can select to “keep” or“dump” DOPE information. FIG. 30 shows the screen where the user selectsthe “keep” or “dump” setting. There are two schools of thought onretaining DOPE information after taking a range. Some users would liketo take a range and get their DOPE information (windage and elevationadjustments) for a precise shot and have that information stay on thescreen until another range is taken. If the user selects “keep,” theDOPE information will remain stored in the rangefinder until anotherrange is taken. Even in “keep” mode, the screen powers OFF after acertain amount of time (e.g. 10 seconds) to save battery life. If a userforgets their DOPE information after the screen powers off, they cansimply press the laser fire button 210 once to turn the display 300screen back on and their DOPE information is still on the display.Often, very long range shots with a rangefinder are difficult toaccurately range because the target can be very small and you have tohold the rangefinder very steady. It can sometimes take many ranges tofeel comfortable that the rangefinder actually ranged off the precisetarget. Thus, it is advantageous to be able to “keep” the DOPE stored inthe rangefinder indefinitely until another range is taken, even afterthe screen powers down, and is powered back up.

Another school of thought is that a user does not want to use “old” oroutdated DOPE and cause another possible user to dial in the wrong DOPE,which may cause the other user to miss the shot. This is especially truein military applications when shooting at multiple targets. The user mayrange multiple targets, set the rangefinder down, and then forget whichtarget was used for the last range/DOPE information. The user may thenpick up the rangefinder after a few minutes and power the display screenback up and use information the user thinks is correct, but it isactually for an old or different target. To prevent this scenario, auser would set the DOPE setting to “dump”. In “dump” setting, every timeafter the screen powers down, the rangefinder erases or “dumps” the DOPEinformation and requires the user to take another range to get new DOPEinformation.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 33, wind data may be entered through the menusystem in an extremely easy, intuitive, and fast manner. Wind data canalso be adjusted after a range is taken to adjust a user's ballisticinformation. Wind data, such as wind velocity and direction, can beentered into the rangefinder 200 and used by the processor 508 by way ofenvironmental sensors 530, or by entry via the multi-position button220. FIG. 13 illustrates a display 300 in a basic mode showing thecurrent wind speed and. direction before windage and range data aredetermined. Similarly, in the advanced mode, FIG. 34 illustrates adisplay 300 showing the current wind speed and direction before range,elevation and windage are determined.

In one embodiment, wind data may be provided to the processor using themulti-position button 220. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 33 a wind indicator512 is provided in the display 300. Wind indicator 512 may be an arrow,pointer, cursor or other marker. As shown in the figures, the windindicator 512 is an arrow that points to the center of the display andcan be rotated 360 degrees around the outer edge of the display. Asshown in the drawings, around the outside edge of the view on thedisplay 300 of the rangefinder 200, which may be an OLED, LCD, orsimilar type display, there is a single arrow at the edge of thedisplay, which points to the center of the display. It will beimmediately intuitive to the user that this display simulates the userbeing at the center of the display, and the wind being at the edge ofthe display. By having an arrow pointing towards the center of thedisplay, it is obvious to the user that they need to simply move thearrow, using the left/right positions of the multi-position button 220,to the position that the wind is coming from. It is therefore moredifficult to mix up the wind “coming from vs. going to phenomenon,” asit is when using a numerical wind direction, or if a user were to havethe arrow across the whole display, or if the user had an arrow at thecenter or outer edge of the display pointing outwards, since the userwould not know if the arrow was pointing at where the wind is comingfrom, or going to.

Thus to use the wind indicator 512 in the drawings, the user can imaginethat they are standing at the center of the display and would use themulti-position button 220 to place the wind indicator 512 at the clockcode position of where the wind is coming from as they face the target.For example, if the user is facing their target and the wind is comingfrom their 3 o'clock position at 10 mph, they would use themulti-position button 220 to move the wind indicator 512 to the 3o'clock position, and also use the multi-position button 220 to increaseor decrease the wind speed to 10 MPH, then fire the laser to get theirDOPE and range to target. If the rangefinder includes a built-incompass, which can also compensate for magnetic variation, therangefinder 200 will also record the true bearing it is facing when winddata is being entered by the user, or when calculating a range. Theprocessor 508 of the rangefinder 200 can then calculate the bearingdirection of the wind, and use these calculations to give the bestballistic solution, taking into consideration any magnetic shift awayfrom true north, and any Coriolis Effect. Thus, the user can simplyplace an arrow at the clock code of where the wind is coming from, andthen set the wind speed before ranging.

Once a user sets the wind direction and speed, it is stored in memory ofprocessor 508. The next time a range measurement is taken, therangefinder 200, using the inertial navigation unit 516, knows whichdirection it is facing, and also knows which direction the stored windis coming from, and the rangefinder 200 can display the wind indicator512 appropriately to graphically display the user's new relative winddirection, so that it indicates the direction of the wind on a clockface, as if one were positioned above the device.

Using clock codes is easier than having to take out a compass, GPS, orother measuring device, to determine the wind direction. This graphicalinterface means the user does not need to know the actual compassheading of the wind direction, or the actual compass direction the laserrangefinder is facing, since this is all done “under the hood” of therangefinder 200. The user only needs to determine, once facing theirintended target, which way the wind is coming from, relative to thedirection of their target. For example, if one is facing a target andthe wind is coming from directly behind them (at “6 o'clock”) the userwill scroll the wind arrow to the bottom of the screen, so that thearrow is facing up, which simulates the wind coming from behind theuser. In yet another example if the wind is off one's left shoulder theuser simply scrolls the wind arrow to the “9 o'clock” position on thedisplay. Lastly, the user would enter their wind speed using the up/downpositions of the multi-position button 220, using any appropriateincrements of the wind speed. For the sake of this explanation, 1 mphincrements will be used. The user determines the wind speed using anydesired method. For example, the user can estimate the wind based onsimple experience. This is usually accurate enough to compensate for allbut the most extreme long range, precise shots. Alternatively, the usercan also use a hand held wind meter, or could use wind data from aweather app, weather channel, weather radio, or any other suitablyreliable source.

The most important factor in wind is the average wind over the distanceof the flight path of the bullet. The wind direction and speed can bevariable over long distance shots. For this reason, portable winddevices are limited in their value, because they only give you windreading at your current location, but not over the range of the shot.There are wireless devices that can be placed in intervals across arange of fire, but this is usually impractical for hunting, lawenforcement, or military applications. Weather radio, weather channel,or smartphone applications also do not have micro-local wind data. Thebest current method then is to allow the user to fine tune the wind databased on the user's own observations. Using wind device information,grass movement, dust movement, etc., the user can determine the averagewind direction and speed over a range of fire, and then set that windinto the rangefinder.

Because most rangefinders power down after a period (e.g., 10 seconds)of non-use, it is important that the wind is kept in memory. The nexttime the rangefinder 200 is turned on, the compass takes aninstantaneous reading of its direction, and then displays the wind arrowat the appropriate place on the display that corresponds to the storedwind direction. Again, the user does not need to know what the numericalbearing of the wind is, as this is all stored in the processor 508 or inthe memory of the rangefinder 200. This wind data can be used forcalculating display data such as elevation hold over value and windagesettings for multiple targets.

For example, if one is facing 360 degrees, and the wind is off of theuser's right shoulder, the user puts the wind indicator 512 at a 3o'clock position. The user then sees an arrow at 3 o'clock facing thecenter of the display (the simulated user's position in a bird's eyeview profile). The device knows it is facing 360 degrees (due north) andit knows the indicator is at 090 degrees (due east), so it stores a 090wind and whatever wind speed value the user sets. The wind direction of090 degrees is not necessarily displayed to the user (although it canbe) and it is not even necessary because the actual direction isassociated with the position of the arrow and stored “under the hood.”Once the wind indicator 512 is set, the user can pan the rangefinder 200left or right and the arrow will real-time adjust to keep track of wherethe 090 degree position is in relation to the direction the rangefinder200 is pointed.

Next assume the user walks for a while and finds a new target. Now theuser is facing 270 degrees (due west). If using a rangefinder 200 inaccordance with the invention, the user does not need to know whichdirection he or she is facing. When the user turns on the rangefinder200, an immediate compass direction reading is taken by the onboardinertial navigation unit 516 and the rangefinder 200 processor 508determines it is facing 270 (due west). The last stored wind value, setby the user, was 090 (due east). The wind indicator 512 can thenautomatically be shifted to the bottom. of the display 300, which is the6 o'clock position, which is directly behind the shooter, because thatis where the wind was last coming from. The user never needs to keeptrack of the wind because the rangefinder 200 and the wind trackingfeature does it for the user. If the wind had shifted or changedvelocity, adjustments to saved wind data can be easily made using themulti-position button 220 to fine tune the wind direction and speed.Even if the user forgets to fine tune the wind data, the device willstill likely give a much better ballistic solution than no windcompensation at all. Also, with the ballistic DOPE Keep/dump feature,the user can actually change the wind after the fact, and the ballisticswill real- time adjust to the proper solution before re-computing themath. This means the user can forget to fine tune the wind until afterthe range is taken.

FIGS. 36, 37A, 37B, and 37C further illustrate one embodiment of arangefinder 200 with an improved display, including a ranging system504, environmental sensors 530, an inertial navigation unit 516, saveduser profile settings 540, and saved user wind input 550. It should beunderstood that not all of these features need to be included in therangefinder 200 to be included within the scope of the invention, butFIG. 36 is provided here to illustrate that all of these features canprovide input to processor 508, which in turn can provide output datafor viewing in display 300. Additional features or inputs may beincluded as well. As shown in FIG. 36, rangefinder 200 includes a body520 in which several components are contained, including: display 300,processor 508, ranging system 504, environmental sensors 530, andinertial navigation unit 516. In this schematic, box 540 represents aballistics user profile, and box 550 represents saved wind data (such asspeed and direction) stored in memory in the device, perhaps inprocessor 508. A. saved ballistics profile 540 could be provided asdescribed above and include saved ballistics profile data for the user'sgun and ammunition. Saved wind data 550 could be provided as describedabove as well.

FIGS. 37A, 37B and 37C demonstrate how saved wind data 550 can be usedtogether with the inertial navigation unit 516, saved ballistics profileinformation 540, and the ranging system 504 to very quickly provide anew ballistics solution for a new target. FIG. 37A shows a shooter'sposition 555 relative to a first target 560 at a first range 570, inwhich the shooter sets the wind indicator 512 on rangefinder 200. InFIG. 37A, the wind is coming from due north (360°) at a speed of 10 mph;first target 560 is at 300°.

FIG. 37B shows that the vector components of the wind can be broken downinto a crosswind component and a headwind component, and can then beapplied to the stored ballistics information (perhaps from a userprofile) to calculate and provide the corrected ballistics solution forthe given wind direction and speed. In. FIG. 37B, the crosswindcomponent; “y” is the headwind component. Using the calculation: Sin30=y/10, and solving for “y” provides the headwind component of 5 mph.And, using the calculation: Cos 30=x/10, and solving for “x” providesthe crosswind component of 8.66 mph. Applying the 5 mph headwind and8.66 mph right crosswind to the ballistics data for the first target 560at first range 570 as determined by ranging system 504 and processor 508results in a corrected ballistics solution that can be provided ondisplay 300 for the first target 560.

If the user turns around at position 555 for a second target 580 at asecond range 590, the saved wind data and other saved data can be usedto calculate a second corrected ballistics solution as shown in FIG.37C. In FIG. 37C, the calculations are adjusted for a second target 580at direction 200°, using the same wind and ballistics data. The inertialnavigation unit 516 allows the new aiming direction for second target580 to be applied to the original wind input for the processor 508 tocalculate new crosswind and headwind (or tailwind) components. In theexample in FIG. 37C, “x” is still the crosswind component and is now atailwind component. Using the calculation: Sin 20=x/10, and solving for“x” provides the crosswind component of 3.42 mph. Similarly, using thecalculation: Cos 20=y/10, and solving for “y” provides the tailwindcomponent of 9.4 mph. Applying the 9.4 mph tailwind and the 3.42 mphright crosswind. to the ballistics data for second target 580 at secondrange 590 as determined by ranging system 504 and processor 508 resultin a corrected ballistics solution for the second target 580 that can beprovided in display 300. This functionality could also be applied foradditional targets and in different locations, for example if theshooter moves to a new location with similar wind speed and direction.The example illustrated in FIGS. 37A, 37B and 37C assumes that the windspeed and direction remains the same. But if the wind speed or directionhas changed, the user can easily adjust the wind indicator 512 or otherwind input data for the changed conditions. FIG. 35 is an illustrationof this process in a step diagram.

Although the invention has been herein described in what is perceived tobe the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understoodthat the invention is not intended to be limited to the specificembodiments set forth above. Rather, it is recognized that modificationsmay be made by one of skill in the art of the invention withoutdeparting from the spirit or intent of the invention and, therefore, theinvention is to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to thesubject matter of the appended. claims and the description of theinvention herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rangefinder comprising: a body, the bodyincluding a display, a ranging system for measuring a distance to atarget and mounted within the body, a processor mounted within the bodyand capable of controlling information for showing on the display, afirst button mounted on the body and in communication with the rangingsystem, and a second button mounted on the body and in communicationwith the processor, wherein the second button is a multi-positionbutton.
 2. The rangefinder of claim 1 further comprising an inertialnavigation unit mounted within the body and in communication with theprocessor.
 3. The rangefinder of claim 1 wherein actuation of the firstbutton causes the device to take a range measurement.
 4. The rangefinderof claim 1 wherein actuation of the multi-position button allows foradjustment of settings for operation of the rangefinder.
 5. Therangefinder of claim 1 wherein actuation of the multi-position buttonallows for entry of data into the processor.
 6. The rangefinder of claim1 wherein the multi-position button is a 5-position button.
 7. Therangefinder of claim 1 wherein the rangefinder may communicate with aremote computing device using a wireless connection.
 8. A rangefindercomprising: a body, the body including a display, a ranging system formeasuring a distance to a target and mounted within the body, aprocessor mounted within the body and capable of controlling informationprovided on the display, the processor further providing: a first modeof operation for the rangefinder in which the operational settings ofthe rangefinder may be adjusted, and a second mode of operation for therangefinder in which range measurements may be taken.
 9. The rangefinderof claim 8 wherein the first mode of operation further includes theability to enter ballistics data.
 10. The rangefinder of claim 8 whereinthe first mode of operation further includes the ability to enterballistics data provided in connection with a user profile.
 11. Therangefinder of claim 8 wherein the first mode of operation furtherincludes the ability to enter ballistics data provided in connectionwith more than one user profile.
 12. The rangefinder of claim 8 whereinthe second mode of operation further includes the ability to measurewind data.
 13. The rangefinder of claim 12 wherein the wind datacomprises wind velocity data and wind direction data.
 14. A rangefindercomprising: a body; a ranging system for measuring the distance to atarget and mounted within the body, at least one button mounted on thebody and in communication with to the ranging system, wherein at leastone of the at least one buttons is a multi-position button; and meansfor calculating the elevation and windage settings based on inputsentered using the multi-position button.
 15. A rangefinder including: aranging system for measuring a distance to a target, a display, aprocessor in communication with the ranging system and capable ofproducing an image on the display, an input for inputting wind velocityand direction into the processor by moving an indicator around theperiphery of the display image.
 16. The rangefinder of claim 15 whereinthe indicator is an arrow pointing the direction from which the wind isblowing.
 17. The rangefinder of claim 16 wherein the arrow points towardthe center of the display.
 18. A rangefinder including: a ranging systemfor measuring distance to a first target, a display, a processor incommunication with the ranging system and producing an image on thedisplay, an input for providing wind velocity and direction data intothe processor and an inertial navigation unit in communication with theprocessor, the processor calculating and displaying the wind velocityand direction when the rangefinder changes position, based on data fromthe inertial navigation unit.
 19. The rangefinder of claim 18 whereinthe processor further calculates and displays windage and elevationsettings for the first target on the display.
 20. The rangefinder ofclaim 19 wherein the processor stores wind velocity and direction datafrom the first target and further calculates windage and elevationsettings for a second target based on the stored wind velocity anddirection data.
 21. A method of viewing information in a rangefinder,comprising the steps of: providing wind data to a processor in therangefinder, the rangefinder also comprising a display, a rangingsystem, and an inertial navigation unit, providing ballistics data tothe processor in the rangefinder, taking a distance measurement to afirst target using the ranging system of the rangefinder, the processorcalculating elevation and windage hold values based on the distancemeasurement taken, ballistics data, and wind data provided; and viewingthe calculated elevation and windage hold values in the rangefinderdisplay.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein wind data is provided tothe processor using an input on the rangefinder.
 23. The method of claim21, wherein the wind data comprises wind speed and wind direction. 24.The method of claim 23, wherein the wind direction is provided to theprocessor using a wind indicator input.
 25. The method of claim 21,wherein ballistics data is stored ballistics data in the processor. 26.The method of claim 21, comprising the additional steps of: taking adistance measurement to a second target using the ranging system of therangefinder, the processor calculating elevation and windage hold valuesbased on the distance measurement taken, ballistics data, wind dataprovided, and data from the inertial navigation unit; and viewing thecalculated elevation and windage hold values in the rangefinder displayfor the second target.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the wind dataand ballistics data is the same data for both the first target and thesecond target.